Tool for removing threaded closures

ABSTRACT

A handle carries a flexible elongated strap or the like, an intermediate portion of which forms a loop adjacent one end of the handle, and the ends of which extend into the interior of the handle. Here, the ends of the strap are connected with a device permitting one or both of the ends to be moved longitudinally of the handle. This permits an increase or decrease in the size of the loop to be obtained so that it may be accommodated to different closure sizes and may arrest a closures in the selected position. An abutment member is provided on the handle and is adapted to cooperate with the loop for engaging closures having a given range of sizes. An auxiliary abutment member is pivotally mounted on the handle and is movable into and out of the confines of the loop. The auxiliary abutment member is adapted to cooperate with the loop for engaging closures having a different range of sizes.

United States Patent 1 1 Rutz Dec. 3, 1974 I [54] TOOL FOR REMOVING THREADED 2,498,934 2/l950 Webb 8l/3.43

CLOSURES [76] inventor: Walter Rutz, Oberer Graben 44, Primary Lawrence smlth Sal-m Ga, Switzerland Assistant Exammer-l1oscoe V. Parker I Attorney, Agent, or F1rmM1chael S. Striker [22] Filed: Jan. 4, 1974 21 Appl. No.: 430,873 [57] ABSTRACT Related Application Data A handle carries a flexible elongatedstrap or the like, [63] Continua'tion-in-part of Sen No. 210,013, Decv 20, an intermediate portion of which forms a loop adja- 1971, abandonedcent one end of the handle, and the ends of which extend into the interior of the handle. Here, the ends of Forelgn pp Priority Data the strap are connected with a device permitting one Dec. 22, 1970 Switzerland 508550/70 or both of the ends to be moved longitudinally of the handle. This permits an increase or decrease in the [52] US. Cl 81/3.43, 81/64, 81/185 size of the loop to be obtained so that it may be ac- [51] Int. Cl B67b 7/00, B25b 13/52 commodated to different closure sizes and may arrest [58] Field of Search 81/3.43, 64, 185; 29/222, a closures in the selected position. An abutment mem- 29/229 her is provided on the handle and is adapted to cooperate with the loop for engaging closures having a [56] References Cited given range of sizes. An auxiliary abutment member is UNITED STATES PATENTS piilotally Hipufified or; the hgancile and is Rovablelinto an out 0 t e con mes o t e 00p. e auxl lary l,l47,625 7/l9l5 Elkelbe r iii/3,43 1,214,395 1/1917 Valentin? 8113.43 abutment member adapted t COO/Jamie the 1,478724 12ll923 sarchusm 8l/3 43 loop for engaging closures havmg a dlfferent range of 1,564,222 12/1925 Dunlap .7 81/185 SiZeS- 1,828,106 10/1931 Ertola 8l/3.43 2,181,012 11/1939 Bunting 81/64 16 7 19 Clams 6 D'awmg Flgures PATENTELBEB 3W 3,851,548

- SHEEK 20F 2 Fig. 5 Fig. 6

TOOL FOR REMOVING THREADED CLOSURES CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 210, 013, filed Dec. 20, 1971, now abandoned, and entitled Tool for Removing Threaded Closures.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION ing such opening in many instances. If the dimensions of the closure permit it is, of course, possible to use a tool such as pliers to engage the closure and turn it; however, such tools engage the closure at spaced points and the force exerted at these points upon the closure is usually sufficiently large to damage the closure itself thereby preventing its later re-use for closing the container, for instance, if the contents thereof have not been entirely removed and sometimes it is sufficient even to damage the container itself.

The prior art has proposed a special tool to overcome these disadvantages having a handle provided with a flexible strap which forms a loopinto which the closure is inserted. One end of the strap is secured to the handle and the other end of. the strap is pulled about a pin or a rod provided for this purpose at the handle, so that pulling on this end makes it possible to increase or decrease the size of the loop. A closure is inserted into the. loop and the user pulls on the end which is trained about the pin or rod until the strap engages the closure frictionally whereupon the handle is moved circumferentially of the container to unthread the closure. The trouble with this prior-art construction is that the strap is not held sufficiently reliably and that the loop can therefore open up when a force is exerted in an attempt to unthread the closure, so that the loop becomes disengaged from the closure unless the user somehow manages to hold on to the free end which is turned about the pin and to prevent it from slipping, which is difficult to do.

A further construction is known from the US. Pat. No. 1,478,724 which, however, does notrelate to a tool for removing closures but deals with a piston ring holder. Here, the ends of the strap are connected to a member mounted in the handle of the tool, this member being movable in longitudinal direction of the handle to thereby increase or decrease the size of the loop.

In order to maintain the strap in looped configuration, a spring is provided within the confines of the loop and acts on the strap in such a manner as to maintain it in the form of a loop. This spring is maintained in position within the confines of'the loop by means of a U-shaped member which straddles the handle so that a portion of the spring is confined between the U-shaped member and the handle. A screw extends through both legs of the U-shaped member and through the handle so that the spring is fixedly mounted within the confines of the loop.

Despite the state of the art to date, there exists, however, another problem with all of the prior art constructions. This is due to the fact that the closure or other object engaged by the tool abuts-against the handle thereof. Since the radius of curvature of the contact surface of the handle is fixed, it becomes troublesome, if not impossible, to use the tool for closures having different sizes. Thus, if the curvature of the closure is smaller than that of the contact surface of the handle, only a small surface area of the closure will be contacted by the handle. As a result, the closure will not be securely held and, in addition, since the pressure exerted by the strap acts over only a small surface area, damage to the closure and/or the container may occur. On the otherhand, if the curvature of the closure is larger than that of the contact surface of the handle, the closure will not bear against this contact surface but, instead, will bear against the edges or ends of the handle. Again, damage to the closure and/or the container may well occur.

It may be seen, then, .that improvements in the state of the art are desirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, accordingly, an object of the invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tool for manipulating objects which is not possessed of these disadvantages.

A concomitant object of the invention is to provide such a tool in which the size of the loop can be continuously adjusted and in which, any stage of adjustment, the loop is arrested against changing its size unintentionally.

Still another object of the invention is to provide such a tool in which no free ends of the loop are exposed at the exterior of the handle where they might interfere with the use of the tool.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a tool which is able to firmly and reliably engage objects of different sizes.

It is also an object of the invention to provide such I a tool which is simpler in its construction than those known from the prior art.

In pursuance of these objects, and of others which will become apparent hereafter, the invention provides a tool formanipulating objects, particularly closures, which includes a flexible, elongated, object engaging element having a loop portion adapted to surround and engage an object and also having a pair of end portions. A first abutment member is provided and is movable between an operative position in which it is adapted to cooperate with the loop portion for engaging objects having a first range of sizes and an inoperative position. A second abutment member is provided on the handle of the tool and is adapted to cooperate with the loop portion for engaging objects having a second range of sizes when the first abutment member is in its-inoperative position. The tool is further provided with means for varying the length of the loop portion and for preventing unintentional variations of this length. This means is operatively associated with at least one of the end portions of the object engaging element.

Advantageously the interior of the handle is provided with a screw spindle which extends longitudinally of the abutment memberin the process move axially thereof when the spindle is turned. One

end portion of the closure engaging element is connected to the nut or similar threaded element and the other is connected to the handle, or both end portions are connected to the nut. The engaging portion itself is advantageously a strap of metallic or synthetic plastic material, or of another suitable material but instead of strap-shaped configuration a different configuration may also be chosen.

According to a currently preferred embodiment of the invention, the handle is provided at the end carrying' the loop with a head having an abutment which will engage the closure whenthe tool is in use, so that when the handle is displaced in the general plane of the loop in the circumferential direction of the closure the tensile force exerted upon the loop, and thereby upon the closure, will be increased.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however,

both as to its construction and its method of operation,

together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best-understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanyingdrawi'ngs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. I is a somewhat diagrammatic partial longitudinal section through one embodiment of the'invnetion;

FIG. 2 is aview of another embodiment of the inven- -FIG."3 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 2 showing the auxiliary abutment member in its operative position; r 3

FIG..4 is similar to FIG. 3 but illustrates the auxiliary of being moved to its inoperative position;

FIG. 5 is a somewhat diagrammatic side view'of yet another embodiment of the invention showing an auxiliary abutment member in its operative position; and

FIG. 6 is similar to FIG. 5 but illustrates the auxiliary abutmentmember in the process of being moved to its inoperative position.

I DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS I FIG. I shows an embodiment of my novel tool in which-the handle is identified with reference numeral 1 and is of elongated configuration; Mounted in the interior of the handle 1 is a screw spindle 2 which can be rotated about its own longitudinal axis butcannot be displaced axially of itself. A handle engaging portion 3,

knurled or otherwise suitablyconfigurated, is provided, by means of which the spindle 2 can be rotated about depending upon the rotation direction of the spindle.

The nut member 4, of course, must not itself be allowed i to turn, but must have freedom of axial displacement in-the handle 1.

An elongated flexible closure engaging element, here identified as a strap 7, for instance, of metal or the like, is provided, and the intermediate portion of the strap 7 forms a loop into which the closure to be engaged is inserted. The opposite end portions 5 and 6 of the strap 7 are connected in the illustrated embodiment'with the nut 4, for instance by welding, riveting or in other suitable manner. The end portions of the loop formed by its longitudinal axis from the exterior of the handle I.

A nut member or the like is identified with reference numeral 4 and is internally screw threaded so as to mesh with the threads of the spindle 2, so that when the spindle is turned the nut member 4 will move axially of the spindle in one or the other axial direction thereof,

the strap 7 enter from opposite sides symmetrically into the head 8 provided on the handle 1, and the head 8.is configurated with the illustrated inclined side surfaces 9 to reduce friction between these surfaces'and the portions 5 and 6 of the strap 7. It will be seen that the head 8 is wider than the remainder of the handle 1 and forms a contact or abutment surface 10 facing inwardly of the loop and which is adapted to tangentially contact aclosure located within the loop. I

It is emphasized that it is not necessary for both end portions 5 and 6 of the strap to be connected with the element 4; instead, one of the end portions could be connected to the element 4 and the other end portion (either 5 or 6) could be connected to the-handle '1 itself in the interior thereof. With such an embodiment, the purposes of the present invention are also achieved, but it must be considered that, as opposed to the embodi ment illustrated in FIG. 1, this modification requiresa larger number of turns of theportion 3 in order to' obtain the same size variation of the loop as opposed to the FIG. 1 embodiment.

It will be appreciated that when a closure is inserted into the loop and the loop is tightened into engagement with it, it is then simply" necessary to displacethe-handle 1 in the general plane of the loop andjthe closure circumferentially of the latter o'rof-the'container on which it is provided, so that theclosure can be readily opened and unthreaded because it is engaged over all or most of its circumferential surfaceby the strap 7.

The force distribution and exertion of force on theclosure is more or less even everywhere so that damage to the closure is prevented. Subsequently,it is simply nec- I essary to reverse the previous direction of rotation of the portion 3'to disengage the closure from the loop formed by the strap 7.

Corning now to FIG. 2, it will be seen that the em bodiment illustrated therein differs from that of FIG. 1 in that here the handle 1 is provided with an abutment portion or member 10' which is configurated concavely so as to permit'a better contact .to' be obtained with a closure to be engaged. In addition, an auxiliary abutment portion or member 11 is provided which may advantageously be of clawshaped configuration as illustrated. The member 11 is fast with a connecting portion or member 15 which, in turn, is fast with a pivot portion or member 14. The pivot member 14 extends intothe handle 1 and, thus,-the member 11 is pivotally con nected with the latter. Suitable means is provided so as to prevent substantial movement ofthe pivot member 14 in axial direction thereof, that is, for the showing of FIG; 2, in a directioninto andout of the plane of the paper. Such-means may, for example. be a raised rib of such diameter that it cannot pass into the holein the handle 1 through which the pivot member 14 extends.

For reasons which will become apparent shortly, it is advantageous when the connecting member 15 is made of a resiliently yieldable material.

The member 11 includes the claws 12 and 13 and, as is clearly evident, has an arcuately recessed surface The surface 10 has approximately the same diameter as conventional threaded bottle closures. Advantageously, the member 11 is made of a resiliently yieldable material such as, for instance, a synthetic plastic, so that the claws 12 and 13 are able to yield to at least some extent. This makes it possible for a closure to enter into the space between the claws 12 and 13 even if its outer diameter is somewhat larger than the inner diameter surrounded by the surface 10". Thus, the member 11 is able to engage closures having a range of sizes. With this construction, it is even simpler to open closures on bottles than would otherwise be possible, and it is merely necessary to place the clo-. sure into the claws 12 and 13 and to tighten the loop defined by the strap 7, which corresponds to the strap 7 of FIG. 1. Moreover, the member 11 may be provided with ribs 16 which are able to project into the grooves or corrugations found on some closures to thereby obtain a firmer grip than could be obtained otherwise.

The ribs 16 may extend over all or a substantial portion of the width of the member 11 and, although the presence of the ribs 16 will be advantageous in many instances, these need not be provided.

If the tool is to be used. for opening largerdimensioned closures, so that the member 11 is neither needed nor desired, then it is simply pivoted about the pivot member 14-after first displacing it in axial direction of the pivot member 14 and out of the confines of the loop defined by the strap 7from the full line to the broken line position. It will be appreciated that the full line position of the member 11 shown in FIG. 2 is its operative position, that is, the position wherein the member 11 is located within the confines of the loop defined by the strap 7' and is able to cooperate with the loop to engage closures. The broken line position of the member 11 shown in FIG. 2 is evidently its inoperative position or, in other words, the position wherein it is located exteriorly of-the confines of the loop. The manner in which the member 11 may be moved from its operative to its inoperative position is best seen from FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 shows the member 11 in its operative position whereas FIG. 4 shows the member in a position intermediate its operative and inoperative positions. The position in FIG. 4 is obtained by exerting a force on the member 11 (or on the connecting member 15), when the member 11 is in its operative position, which is directed essentially in axial direction of the pivot member 14. Due to the fact that the pivot member 14 is for all intents and purposes constrained from moving in its axial direction, and due to the yieldable nature of the connecting member 15, this force causes the connecting member 15 to bend approximately in the manner indicated. As a result, the member 11 is displaced from within the confines of the loop defined by the strap 7. It is now possible to pivot the member 11 from the position shown in FIG. 4 to the broken line position of FIG. 2 which, in the showing of FIG. 4, would be a rotation about the pivot member 14 in a sense displacing the member 11 downwardly. Of course, a similar procedure, but carried out in reverse, would be followed to move the member 11 from its inoperative to its operative position.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate an embodiment of the invention which is similar to that of FIGS. 2-4. Here, the auxiliary abutment member, the connecting member and the pivot member are indicated with reference numerals ll, 15' and 14, respectively. This embodiment differs from the preceding one mainly in the configuration of the pivot member 14. More particularly, as may be seen from FIG. 5 which shows the member 11 in its operative position, the length of the pivot member 14 is greater than that of the pivot member 14 of FIGS. 2-4. The pivot member 14' extends through the handle 1 and has a length greater than the thickness of the latter so that the pivot member 14' projects outwardly of the handle 1 when the member 11 is in its operative position. FIG. 6 shows the member 11' in a position intermediate its operative and inoperative positions. This position is obtained by exerting a force on the member 11 (or the pivot member 14 or the connecting member 15), when the member 11' is in its operative position, which is directed essentially in axial direction of the pivot member 14'. Since, in this embodiment, the pivot member 14' is mounted for sliding movementin the handle 1 as well as for rotational movement, this force will cause a displacement of the pivot member 14' in axial direction thereof, that is, from the position indicated in FIG. 5 to that indicated in FIG. 6. As a result, the connecting member 15 (which is fast with the pivot member 14) and the member 11 (which is fast with the connecting member 15') will also be displaced in this direction. Thus, the member 11' is displaced from within the confines of the loop'defined by the strap 7'. It is now merely necessary to pivot or rotate the member 11' from the position illustrated in FIG. 6 to its inoperative position which is similar to the broken line position of FIG. 2. In the showing of FIG. 6, this entails a rotation of the member 11, in a sense displacing it downwardly. Again, a similar procedure, but carried out in reverse, is used for moving the member 11' from its inoperative to its operative position. Of course, suit: able means are provided to prevent the pivot member 14 from sliding completely through the handle] and becoming disengaged therefrom. As for the embodiment of FIGS. 2-4, such means may, for example, be a raised rib or portion of increased diameter provided on the pivot member 14.. iv

The auxiliary abutment member, the connecting member and the pivot member of each of the last two embodiments are advantageously all made of a syn-' thetic plastic material although this is not an absolute requirement of the invention. Examples of synthetic plastic materials which are favorably used for the embodiment of FIGS. 2-4 are polyethylene, polyurethane and ethylene vinyl acetate whereas polyvinylchloride" with a plasticizer is favorably used for the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6. I p

The utility of the auxiliary abutment member arises due to the fact that it is not possible to impart to the abutment members 10 or 10 provided on the handle 1 too great a degree of concavity. Thus, it will be appreciated that, in the absence of an auxiliary abutment member, it would be necessary for the abutment members 10 or 10' to have a rather small radius of curvature in order to insure that closures of small size will be firmly contacted and engaged thereby. In such an event, however, it may be seen that problems will arise when closures of large radius or size are to be engaged by the tool. Since the abutment members 10'or 10" have a small radius, such large closures will be unable to seat against the surfaces of the abutment members 10 or 10' but, rather, will rest against the edges or ends thereof. The result will then be damage to the closure and/or the container or, at the very least, a deformation of the same.

On the other hand, if the radius of curvature or degree of concavity of the abutment members 10 or 10' is made large, then closures of small size will be supported thereby over only a small contact area. In this event, not only is slippage or sliding unavoidable since the abutment members 10 or 10 do not engage the closure sufficiently firmly but there exists the danger of crushing or breakage of the closure and/or the container due to the pressure exerted by the strap 7 or 7' since this pressure acts over only a small surfacearea.

It is for the above reasons that it is advantageous to provide for an auxiliary abutment member. Thus, in accordance with the invention, the abutment member provided on the handle 1 of the tool is adapted to cooperate with the loop defined by the strap 7 or 7' to engage closures having one range of sizes whereas the auxiliary abutment member is adapted to cooperate with the loop to engage closures having another range of sizes.

In the illustrated embodiments, where the auxiliary abutment member has a smaller radius of curvature than the abutment member provided on the handle 1 of the tool, the auxiliary abutment member insures that a firm contact or engagement is obtained with a closure even though the latter is of small size. Moreover, there is the further advantage that the strap 7 or 7' will act upon the'claws l2 and 13 of the auxiliary abutment member in a sense pressing these against and into firm engagement with the closure. In addition, direct contact between the strap 7 or 7 and the closure will be limited to a short distance or a small surface area.

Although the auxiliary abutment member has been illustrated as having a smaller radius of curvature than the abutment member provided on the handle 1 of the tool, it might be desirable under certain circumstances to provide for the abutment member on the handle 1 of the tool to have a smaller radius of curvature than the auxiliary abutment member and to make the abutment member on the handle 1 in accordance with the principles set forth for the auxiliary abutment member. This might, for example, be desirable when the tool is to be used predominantly for small closures and only occasionally for large closures. It will also be appreciated that it is possible to provide for more than one auxiliary abutment member in accordance with the principles of the invention. Thus, several auxiliary abutment members might be provided, each suitable for use with a different range of sizes.

It is also pointed out that, since the invention finds particular application in the removal of closures, especially threaded closures, from containers and the like, the invention has been described with reference to a closure. However, the invention obviously has other applications. For instance, the invention may be used for transporting objects which, for one reason or the other, cannot or should not be contacted with the hands. The invention may also find a use in maintaining objects in a desired position and for placing objects into desired locations. Similarly, the invention may find an application in subjecting objects to a compression. Evidently, the invention may also be used for replacing closures which have been removed and for other varied applications which will be apparent from the description.

It will be appreciated that with the tool according to the present invention accommodation can be made continuously and without any difficulty to any closure size within a wide range, but only small turning movement of the portion 3 is necessary in order to obtain the necessary accommodation. Moreover, by friction of the portion 3 against the free end of the handle 1 the device is secured against undesired changes in the size of the loop defined by the strap 7 or 7, so that such changes can come about only when they are intended. Because there occurs a slight inclination of the abutment surfaces 10 or 10 when the handle is moved circumferentially of the closure engaged in the loop, the tensile force exerted by the loop is increased. The inner side of the loop, that is, the side facing the interior, can, incidentally, be provided with a suitable coating for enhancing frictional engagement with a closure, and such coatings or materials are already well known.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a tool for removing threaded closures, it is not intended to belimited to the detailsshown since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the stand point of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Atool for manipulating objects, particularly closures, comprising a handle; a flexible elongated object engaging element having a loop portion adapted to surround and engage an object, said object engaging element also having a pair of end portions; a first abutment member movable between an operative position in which it is adapted to cooperate with said loop portion for engaging objects having a first range of sizes and an inoperative position; a second abutment member provided on said handle and adapted to cooperate with said loop portion for engaging objects having a second range of sizes when said first abutment member is in said inoperative position; and means for varying the length of said loop portion and for preventing unintentional variations of said length, said means being operatively connected with at least one of said end portions.

2. A tool as defined in claim l,wherein said varying means comprises a threaded spindle rotatably mounted on said handle, a threaded member on said spindle having said one end portion secured thereto and being displaceable axially of said spindle in response to rotation thereof, and an engaging portion for rotating said spindle.

3. A tool as defined in claim 1; and further comprising connecting means pivotally connecting said first abutment member with said handle so as to permit pivotal movement of said first member between said operative and inoperative positions.

4. A tool as defined in claim 3, wherein said connecting means comprises a pivot member extending into said handle, and a resiliently yieldable connecting member connecting said first abutment member and said pivot member, said pivot member being so arranged that a force exerted on either of said first abutment member and said connecting member in substantially axial direction of said pivot member when said first abutment member is in said operative position causes yielding of said connecting member and a concomitant displacement of said first abutment member from said operative position so as to permit pivotal movement of said first abutment member to said inoperative position.

5. A tool as defined in claim 3, wherein said connecting means comprises a pivot member slidably mounted in said handle for movement in axial direction of said pivot member, and a connecting member connecting said first abutment member and said pivot member, said pivot member being so arranged that a force exerted on any of said pivot member, said first abutment member and said connecting member in substantially axial 'direction of said pivot member when said first abutment member is in said operative position causes sliding movement of said pivot member and a concomitant displacement of said first abutment member from said operative position so as to permit pivotal movement of said first abutment member to said inoperative position.

6. A tool as defined in claim 4, wherein said first abutment member, said pivot member and said connecting member are composed at least in part of synthetic plastic material.

7. A tool as defined in claim 6, wherein said material comprises a substance selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polyurethane and ethylene vinyl acetate.

8. A tool as defined in claim 5, wherein said first abutment member, said pivot member and said connecting member are composed at least in part of synthetic plastic material.

9. A tool as defined in claim 8, wherein said material comprises polyvinylchloride and a plasticizer.

10. A tool as defined in claim 1, said first abutment member having a side adapted to engage an object; and wherein said first abutment member comprise ribs provided at said side and adapted to mate with grooves in an object engaged by said first abutment member so as to enhance engagement of the object by said first abutment member.

11. A tool as defined in claim 1, wherein said first abutment member is of substantially claw-shaped configuration.

12. A tool as defined in claim 1, wherein said first abutment member is composed at least in part of resiliently yieldable material.

13. A tool as defined in claim 1, wherein one of said end portions is secured to said varying means and the other of said end portions is secured to said handle.

14. A tool as defined in claim 1, wherein both of said end portions are secured to said varying means.

15. A tool as defined in claim 1, wherein said end portions extend into said handle.

16. A tool as defined in claim 1, wherein said varying means is operative for continuously varying said length.

said side. 

1. A tool for manipulating objects, particularly closures, comprising a handle; a flexible elongated object engaging element having a loop portion adapted to surround and engage an object, said object engaging element also having a pair of end portions; a first abutment member movable between an operative position in which it is adapted to cooperate with said loop portion for engaging objects having a first range of sizes and an inoperative position; a second abutment member provided on said handle and adapted to cooperate with said loop portion for engaging objects having a second range of sizes when said first abutment member is in said inoperative position; and means for varying the length of said loop portion and for preventing unintentional variations of said length, said means being operatively connected with at least one of said end portions.
 2. A tool as defined in claim 1, wherein said varying means comprises a threaded spindle rotatably mounted on said handle, a threaded member on said spindle having said one end portion secured thereto and being displaceable axially of said spindle in response to rotation thereof, and an engaging portion for rotating said spindle.
 3. A tool as defined in claim 1; and further comprising connecting means pivotally connecting said first abutment member with said handle so as to permit pivotal movement of said first member between said operative and inoperative positions.
 4. A tool as defined in claim 3, wherein said connecting means comprises a pivot member extending into said handle, and a resiliently yieldable connecting member connecting said first abutment member and said pivot member, said pivot member being so arranged that a force exerted on either of said first abutment member and said connecting member in substantially axial direction of said pivot member when said first abutment member is in said operative position causes yielding of said connecting member and a concomitant displacement of said first abutment member from said operative position so as to permit pivotal movement of said first abutment member to said inoperative position.
 5. A tool as defined in claim 3, wherein said connecting means comprises a pivot member slidably mounted in said handle for movement in axial direction of said pivot member, and a connecting member connecting said first abutment member and said pivot member, said pivot member being so arranged that a force exerted on any of said pivot member, said first abutment member and said connecting member in substantially axial direction of said pivot member when said first abutment member is in said operative position causes sliding movement of said pivot member and a concomitant displacement of said first abutment member from said operative position so as to permit pivotal movement of said first abutment member to said inoperative position.
 6. A tool as defined in claim 4, wherein said first abutment member, said pivot member and said connecting member are composed at least in part of synthetic plastic material.
 7. A tool as defined in claim 6, wherein said material comprises a substance selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polyurethane and ethylene vinyl acetate.
 8. A tool as defined in claim 5, wherein said first abutment member, said pivot member and said connecting member are composed at least in part of synthetic plastic material.
 9. A tool as defined in claim 8, wherein said material comprises polyvinylchloride and a plasticizer.
 10. A tool as defined in claim 1, said first abutment member having a side adapted to engage an object; and wherein said first abutment member comprise ribs provided at said side and adapted to mate with grooves in an object engaged by said first abutment member so as to enhance engagement of the object by said first abutment member.
 11. A tool as defined in claim 1, wherein said first abutment member is of substantially claw-shaped configuration.
 12. A tool as defined in claim 1, wherein said first abutment member is composed at least in part of resiliently yieldable material.
 13. A tool as defined in claim 1, wherein one of said end portions is secured to said varying means and the other of said end portions is secured to said handle.
 14. A tool as defined in claim 1, wherein both of said end portions are secured to said varying means.
 15. A tool as defined in claim 1, wherein said end portions extend into said handle.
 16. A tool as defined in claim 1, wherein said varying means is operative for continuously varying said length.
 17. A tool as defined in claim 1, wherein said element comprises a synthetic plastic material.
 18. A tool as defined in claim 1, wherein said element comprises a metallic material.
 19. A tool as defined in claim 1, said loop portion having a side adapted to engage an object; and further comprising a friction-enhancing covering provided at said side. 